intertwined
by Ricky the King
Summary: FuyuPeko. Fuyuhiko and Peko's lives become intertwined through the birth of their cubs. Wereverse, AKA everyone's an immortal shapeshifter. Don't like? Don't read!
1. early labor

**and so it begins. - chapter one.**

* * *

These days, there is peace in the Kuzuryuu household. Peko makes sure of that. Fuyuhiko does an amazing job at pissing himself off and stressing by himself, he doesn't need anyone else to help him, or do it for him. That's the reasoning she gives, anyway. In reality, Peko has her own fears about the upcoming birth of their cubs, and Fuyuhiko's well aware of this. That's partially why he lets it happen, going so far as to help her kick Natsumi out and make her go stay with her girlfriend, Sana Sato's, family for a while.

Fuyuhiko's… more than a little scared, too. The expectation has always been that, one day, he'll deliver an heir. Preferably more than one, if it can be helped. The Clan doesn't want to take chances, wants Fuyuhiko to have a healthy boy even if it takes decades, even if it takes too many litters. But Fuyuhiko has no intention of being a Togami. He says the firstborn of his first litter will be the heir no matter what, dammit. Even if they aren't a boy.

It's not like it should matter, Fuyuhiko and Peko both agree. After all, they assumed Fuyuhiko a girl when he was born, and Peko a boy, only for both assumptions to be switched when they got a little older. Foolish assumptions, really. Fuyuhiko has never been and will never be a woman. Peko has never been and will never be a man.

Even so, these are things Fuyuhiko has to remind himself as his belly grows with the lives he's made with himself and Peko.

At first, the fear is simply for his safety. They've only just graduated from Hope's Peak when they find out. Fuyuhiko very vividly remembers screaming and throwing the pregnancy test across the room when his suspicions were confirmed nearly nine months ago. His talent and occupation already puts him in enough danger, even with Peko's constant supervision and the help of some of his other men (though he prefers Peko, especially when it gets to the point where the curve of his belly is too big to hide even with a jacket). Being the shapeshifter head of the largest criminal syndicate in Japan isn't a safe life.

And then there's the fact of his size. Fuyuhiko will still slaughter anyone who insists he's small, or baby-faced, or child-like, but the possible strain of a litter on his body isn't something that can be ignored or denied. Peko isn't that big comparatively, and shifter babies tend to be smaller on average anyway, but the risk of damage from possibly carrying six cubs weighs heavy on everyone's mind until the first ultrasound.

Fuyuhiko and Peko are both glad for Mikan. She's never been one to judge, after all, and she does her duty without asking too many questions. She's able to explain through her stuttering exactly what's going to happen during the process, how Fuyuhiko's body is likely to change, what might happen after nine months of going off testosterone and what the future might hold.

He scoffs when she talks about how he might get more emotional, but that doesn't stop tears from welling in his eyes when he sees the ultrasound, hears his babies' heartbeats for the first time.

There's only two, thank all the gods, and both are healthy. There's no complications through the whole pregnancy, but there is one issue, at least for other members of the Kuzuryuu family: Fuyuhiko doesn't want to know the sexes of the cubs until they're born, and this drives everyone (especially Natsumi) save for Peko quite crazy. The reasoning behind his decision is clear: should both of his cubs be girls, he doesn't want to be pressured into planning for another litter right away. Normally, the endless lifespan of a shifter would mean he'd have plenty of time for future litters should he want them, but being yakuza means one never knows when their life will come to an unexpected end. Should he fail in producing a male heir, they'll want him to keep trying.

But Fuyuhiko stands firm in his choice. He isn't a tool, and neither is Peko. He makes sure to emphasize that emphatically and clearly.

Besides… pregnancy doesn't treat Fuyuhiko well. Between the intense nausea and cravings, mood swings, weight gain and near-constant back pain, he's not quite sure this is something he'd like to experience more than once. Having Peko there helps, yes, and he'd do just about anything for her, but she's going to have to beg to get him to go through this again.

At least for now, he supposes, he can relax. Fuyuhiko rests on his side in the grand nest he's built, head in Peko's lap as she strokes his hair. He's not as restless as many are before the births of their cubs; rather, he's been quite relaxed the past few days, which surprises everyone. Up until then, he was stressing and worrying and snapping at almost anyone who got too close. But now, he looks very much like a tame beast while Peko pets him gently.

After a few moments, he twitches an ear and flicks the tip of his tail, half-opening one eye blearily. Peko notices, because of course she does, and she looks down at him with worry reflected in her ruby eyes.

"'s okay," Fuyuhiko says before she can worry herself anymore than she already has. "They're moving, that's all." He shifts a little to rest more comfortably in Peko's lap, to get some of the pressure off his back from where the cubs are sitting. At least one of them is moving, though they aren't as rowdy as usual. Possibly just a reaction from being woken from their nap.

Tenderly, Peko rests a hand on his side, runs her thumb along the curve of his belly, and he lets her. He purrs softly, a rumbling sound from deep within his chest as she does. He's completely content right now, could probably stay there for hours until he goes back to sleep.

That is, until he gives a soft grunt and sucks a breath in sharply through his teeth. He stiffens only a little, but it's enough for Peko to notice. "Contraction?" She asks softly.

"Yeah. A little stronger." Fuyuhiko nods and shifts to push himself up, bracing his weight on his arms as he pushes himself up into a sitting position. "Came just a little faster, too."

"Do we need to call Mikan?" Peko's voice is still soft, but her growing anxiety is noticeable.

Fuyuhiko shakes his head. "Well - let her know, but she doesn't need to be here yet." _I don't want anyone to see me vulnerable for longer than they need to _goes completely unsaid, but not unheard. It's not like he's in active labor just yet. He's been having small contractions for days, and it's likely that he has at least a few more hours before things start to get serious.

When Peko leaves the room for just a moment to call Mikan, Fuyuhiko looks down at his stomach and gives a heavy sigh. "Don't be in a rush to come out now, okay? I need another nap." His tone is mostly joking, but he does get a few kicks in "response" to his words. "Yeah, yeah. I hear you."

He leans back, rests his head against one of the many pillows in the nest and sighs. He's definitely ready to meet his children, ready for them to come out of him. He's just not entirely sure he's ready for everything that comes after that.

* * *

**NOTES:** this is rated mature because there are upcoming childbirth scenes, not because there's anything sexual. This is not erotic. I just marked it so that it can be avoided if that bothers people. Please heed the warnings! Fuyuhiko and Peko are both trans here.

Fuyuhiko and Peko's lives become intertwined through the birth of their cubs. Wereverse, AKA everyone's an immortal shapeshifter. Don't like? Don't read!

\- Fuyuhiko is a cat shapeshifter, specifically a Singapura. Peko is a wolf.  
\- Kids are generally referred to as "cubs" until their species becomes apparent.  
\- I did my research + I'm trans myself, but if anything seems off let me know!  
\- Shapeshifters are mostly immortal. They won't die of old age, but can die from extreme illness, being killed by another shifter, or specific rituals done by humans.


	2. early to active

A few hours later, the pacing starts. Fuyuhiko's showing the characteristic restlessness that tells Peko, from all the reading she's been doing, that active labor is probably close to starting. Mainly, he's going about the nest, pacing the perimeter and re-arranging some of the blankets and pillows to fit his tastes.

"I just want it even," he explains. "I don't like it when I lay down and it's all… lumpy. Hurts my back."

As nervous as she is, Peko doesn't stop him, because this is natural. They've both known this day would come, but now that it's upon them, now that their cubs are so close to coming into the world, they're both having doubts. Even so, Fuyuhiko's handling the early labor well so far, doing his best to stay calm and save energy.

He lays down after doing a few more rounds around the nest, leaning his back against the soft pillows to ease the ache. Apparently, he's finally satisfied, at least for the moment. Fuyuhiko stays that way for a little while longer, with Peko watching as his breathing gets a little faster and more shallow. At one point, she helps him with taking off his sweatpants, as they've gotten uncomfortable for him.

They're getting closer.

It's not much longer after that when Fuyuhiko calls Peko to his side, and of course she's there in an instant. He looks up at her, urgency written on his face and in his eyes as he takes both of her hands.

"What's wrong?" She asks, instinctually, worry in her voice.

"I - I gotta stand up," Fuyuhiko says. "Help me up."

She doesn't argue. Instead, she carefully helps him stand up, lets him lean against her as he takes shallow breaths. Then, suddenly, all at once in the same moment, Fuyuhiko gives a soft yelp as the pressure increases for just a second, and his waters break, fluid leaving him in a rush.

He breathes shakily, looks at Peko with fear and apology in his eyes. "Sorry, Peko," he says, voice low. "That was -"

"Not your fault," Peko finishes for him. "You just reacted to what your body was telling you. It's fine." She leans down a bit to kiss his cheek. "Does Mikan need to be here?"

"Yes," Fuyuhiko whispers. "Yeah. It's time."

Those words are the ones they've been dreading and waiting for.

* * *

**NOTES: **this chapter is intentionally short. after this they'll likely be longer, but split into parts to keep reading easy. it'll likely be transition to active labor as one chapter, then the active labor/transitional/pushing, and then after the birth will be the last chapter. so keep an eye out!


	3. active to transitional

p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Peko has never believed the vast majority of the resources she's read that say labor tends to intensify and move quickly after the waters break until right now. Holding Fuyuhiko in her arms in the nest while he labors and breathes through his contractions makes her wonder why she didn't believe it before. She supposes she just assumed that they were written from an outsider's point of view, and that when one was in the middle of it, things would be different. It would feel slower, more like the hours it actually takes rather than the minutes the books say it feels like./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"She was wrong. So very, very wrong./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"After his waters break and Peko calls for Mikan, everything seems to happen so fast. At first, Fuyuhiko's just in some general discomfort, needing his hand held and back rubbed as the contractions get closer and stronger. But as things start to pick up, Peko feels like they barely have time to prepare. Mikan arrives at six thirty P.M that night, and then it feels as though there's only thirty minutes that pass before Fuyuhiko's occasional groans grow into soft moans, and then louder cries, and then heart-wrenching wails. But when Peko turns her head to check the time, it's been nearly five hours./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Fuyuhiko's been in active labor for five hours. He was only three centimeters dilated when Mikan arrived, and now he's nearing eight./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"You're eight centimeters," Mikan tells Fuyuhiko after checking him once more. "The last two centimeters will dilate quite rapidly, okay? Thirty minutes is the norm. Just keep focusing on breathing, and listen to what your body tells you. You'll be able to push soon, and then you'll meet your cubs."/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"He's shaking in Peko's arms even as he nods, sitting on his knees in the nest with his head on Peko's chest. Fuyuhiko turns his chin up to look at Peko, and there's tears in his golden eyes. Peko can feel her heart break, but she brushes her thumb across his cheek without showing it, staying strong for him now when he's been strong for her so many times before. This is the man she loves, the man she married only a few short months before, the evidence of their union in two golden rings on their fingers and in the cubs he's about to have./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; line-height: 138%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="background: transparent;""/span/span/span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"Peko," Fuyuhiko forces out between the contractions. They're only going to get worse when he has to start pushing, and the unspoken fear of /span/span/span/span/span/span/span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"emspan style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"what if it's too much/span/span/em/span/span/span/span/span span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"echoes through both of their minds. "I gotta - gotta stand up. I want - wanna walk, move around."/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Okay." Peko obeys him unflinchingly, listening to every word from his mouth and every cue from his body. Carefully, she wraps her arm around his side, and suddenly he seems so small as she helps him to his feet. She looks at Mikan, who nods her approval and stays close, but not too close that she invades their privacy. This is one of the last moments Fuyuhiko and Peko will spend alone, after all. Fuyuhiko uses his tail and his wife to balance, his ears pressed flat against his head as he squeezes his eyes shut when another contraction pulses through him./span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Resisting the urge to fall back to his knees, Fuyuhiko instead puts his hand that isn't holding Peko on his thigh, nails digging into his skin as he holds back a cry. Peko gently rubs his knuckles with her thumb and looks at him with a gentle, loving expression. There's no pity, because Fuyuhiko doesn't want pity and frankly doesn't need it. She knows that. Instead, she speaks from a place of love rather than pity or sorrow./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"It's okay," she starts to say. "If you need to make noise, do it. It's just us. You can be as loud as you want."/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Fuyuhiko gives an affirmative grunt and a nod, then his grip tightens on Peko as he cries through another contraction. This one peaks twice - Peko can tell because his voice breaks twice as well - and when it's over, he tries to breathe deeply and struggles./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"I can't," Fuyuhiko says, sweat dripping from his face. His hair clings to his forehead and neck, longer now since he hasn't cut it in a few months, and Peko gently wipes his bangs from his forehead to kiss him. "Can't keep this up, Peko."/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Yes you can," Peko says strongly, squeezing his hand to reassure him. "You're yakuza. The Ultimate Yakuza. You can do this, you can do anything. If I can believe that, so can you."/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Fuyuhiko pauses for a moment, blowing air in and out through his lips before he nods. "You're right. 'm not a fucking pussy."/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Peko snorts at that. "Of course not. You're very strong just for doing this."/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"He lets out a breathy laugh. "Really? I don't - don't feel too strong right now."/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Take it from me, then. You're doing amazing." Peko kisses the top of his head once more, and he purrs a little, leaning into her grip a bit more. "Do you still want to move?"/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Yeah." Fuyuhiko straightens a little, still leaning on Peko as they move. It's slow, but the walking seems to help just a bit, some of the pressure on his back easing up but increasing on his pelvis nonetheless. At one point, he stops, leaning against Peko on one side and the wall on the other at the edge of the nest. The energy in the room changes suddenly - at least, Peko feels like it does - as Fuyuhiko gives a soft, low groan from deep within his chest./span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Is something wrong?" Peko asks, looking from Fuyuhiko to Mikan. Mikan doesn't look worried, so Peko forces herself to not look worried as well./span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Fuyuhiko shakes his head. "Pressure," he says, taking deep breaths in-between. "Lots of pressure. Feels like - like I gotta push."/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"At his words, Peko looks over at Mikan again, and she's there faster than Peko thought she would be, gently checking his progress once more while Peko holds him./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"Just a few seconds later come the words they've been waiting hours to hear./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"You're ready," Mikan says. "The first one's head is right there. A couple pushes and you'll be crowning."/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="background: transparent;"For just a second, there's a jolt of panic through Fuyuhiko's body, but that's quickly replaced by the overwhelming urge to get his cubs safely out of him. He manages to ask Peko to move so she's in front of him, holding him with one hand under his arm and the other on his hip to keep him up and steady while he puts his own arms around her, rests his head on her shoulder./span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; font-variant: normal; line-height: 138%; text-decoration: none;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="background: transparent;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"Ready, Papa Fuyu?" Peko asks him, softly, playfully. Fuyuhiko manages a soft laugh and nods against her neck./span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; line-height: 138%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="background: transparent;""/span/span/span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"Yeah. Are /span/span/span/span/span/span/span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"emspan style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"you/span/span/em/span/span/span/span/span span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"ready, Mama Peko?" He asks in return. She gives her answer without hesitating./span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/p  
p style="margin-bottom: 0.14in; line-height: 138%;"span style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="background: transparent;""/span/span/span/spanspan style="font-variant: normal;"span style="color: #000000;"span style="text-decoration: none;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="font-weight: normal;"span style="background: transparent;"Absolutely. Let's do it."/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/span/p 


End file.
